Cintia asked Shelly Crane:

Hi, my name is Cintia and I'm from Argentina. Being a writer is what I want the most in this world, nothing makes me happier than writing, but I'm more and more frustrated with each passing day, because I've been blocked for 3 years. And it is not that I have an unfinished story. I have NOTHING AT ALL. A blank page in front of me, that only makes me sadder... Is there a way to overcome this? How do you handle it?

Shelly Crane Hi, Cintia!!

Don't focus on the story so much, or the pressure of the story, or what you're doing, or worry about not getting anything done, or your schedule, if that's what you're doing to yourself. We can really sike ourselves out sometimes. More often than not, sadly, we make ourselves so wound in one way or another that the story has no room to come out.

So deep breath. I'll wait. Go to a new place to sit that you've never tried to write at before. Change it up. Some people think, oh, I HAVE to write at my desk or it's not writing, it's not WORK. Um, writing isn't supposed to be work! Listen to me on this. Ready? THIS IS A JOY, NOT A JOB. Don't take all the fun out of this amazing thing that we can do for a living or on the side with deadlines and perimeters. That's the amazing thing about writing. You are your own boss. That teacher that said you had to outline or it was wrong. Uh, she isn't here and it's not wrong. :) You make it what you want to make it, what's works for you and your schedule, what's works WITH your family and not against them. If a certain story isn't flowing, then DON'T DELETE IT, just set it aside and try a different story. That's the magic of what we do. We have many stories in us. We can write anyway we want to, at any time of day or night, anywhere in our house or the world, and we don't have to follow any rules except the rules of grammar :)

So find you a comfy, new spot, get something to drink, maybe even something fancy that you've never tried before. I like to drink hot jasmine tea. I mean the real stuff that I get from Adagio teas and I have to put it in a sifter and everything while it steeps. It's amazing. Put on some amazing music with a good view or a view of a good wall if a view would distract you, don't forget that deep breath we talked about, and just think about anything you've ever wanted to write a story about. What is something that character would be doing or saying. Where is some obscure or beginning point to that person's story and just start there. It doesn't even have to be the beginning, you can start writing in the middle of a book and go back and add in the beginning later. If you think of a conversation someone would have, write it. That is often how I start books. And I write my book AROUND it. In fact, most of my books have been written around the first kissing scene or a meet cute because I love writing then so much.

There is no magic to writing magical books. It's up to you to figure out how to get magic from your brain to your fingers. And then...start typing.

I hope this has helped you in some small way. Stress is the killer of all good things and all good books. Remember that. :)

Best wishes and happy endings,
Shelly Crane

flag